But less than three weeks after his passing, and much to my delight, his son and successor Kim Jong Un has picked up where his father left off.

These images were issued by North Korea's government-run news service, and were accompanied by a seemingly loosely-related message: "North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong Un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong Il."

Korean Central News Agency via Reuters

North Korea's new leader Kim Jon Un visits the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Jan. 1, 2012. North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong Un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong Il.